Strawberry plant named ‘Miss Jo’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct variety of strawberry plant (Fragaria x ananassa) named ‘Miss Jo’ is presented here. This new weak day neutral strawberry variety is characterized by moderately high vigor plants which produce attractive conical fruit with a good, sweet strawberry flavor and a desirable lighter red exterior color. The variety is fully remontant in cool coastal areas of California, producing high quality fruit all season long.

Latin name of the genus and species of the plant claimed:

Botanical classification: Fragaria x ananassa.

Variety denomination: The new strawberry variety denomination is ‘MissJo’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of Invention

The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety ofstrawberry named ‘Miss Jo’. This new weak day neutral strawberry varietyis the result of a controlled cross in an ongoing breeding program madein 2014. Jimmy Bagdasarian, Nicholas Pinkerton, and Travis Stegmeir arethe co-inventors. The variety is botanically known as Fragaria xananassa.

The primary market for the ‘Miss Jo’ variety is for the fresh marketsales of the fruit. ‘Miss Jo’ produces high quality, medium to largefirm berries, which are attractive, and which have good flavor. Thevariety ‘Miss Jo’ is a weak day neutral variety, allowing for anextended season of fruit.

Comparison with Parent Varieties

The new variety ‘Miss Jo’ resulted from a controlled cross conducted inan ongoing breeding program between a strawberry variety designated‘22G22’, (unpatented), and a strawberry variety designated ‘52L32’,(unpatented). The female parent, ‘22G22’, is a short-day varietycharacterized by a compact, dense plant, and shorter conic, dark,high-gloss fruit. The fruit have good flavor, and ‘22G22’ is consideredcompletely remontant in coastal areas of cooler temperatures. The malepollen parent ‘52L32’ is day neutral plant, characterized by its large,firm long conical fruit which have a light red exterior and interiorcolor, and low gloss. Plants of ‘52L32’ ate of medium vigor.

The aforementioned controlled cross was carried out in a breedingprogram at Santa Cruz, Calif., USA. Pollen taken from an ‘22G22’ plantpollinated a female ‘52L32’ plant. The flowers were covered so that noother pollen could contaminate the procedure.

Strawberries developed, were later harvested and the seeds resultingfrom this cross were extracted and germinated in a greenhouse atRedding, Calif., USA. The resulting seedlings were then transplanted toShastina, Calif. in 2015, grown for an additional period and allowed topropagate asexually via stolens. Plants were then harvested and plantedin breeding test plots in late September in: Oxnard, Calif. (VenturaCounty); and late October/early November in Watsonville, Calif.(Monterey County). The selection of the new variety was first made inOxnard, Calif., and designated ‘146T54’ in 2015. This selection waslater named ‘Miss Jo’.

The new variety was further propagated asexually by stolens in breedingplots in: Macdoel, Calif. (Siskiyou County); and Manteca, Calif. (SanJoaquin County). The new variety has also been “meristemed.” Smallpieces of plant material (approximately 0.5 mm in diameter), consistingof the undifferentiated meristem tissue and one or two leaf primordia,were removed from the buds on crowns of young daughter plants, thenplaced on nutrient medium, and new plants were grown from them. Plantingstock from the “meristemed” plants are growing in a screenhouse locatedin Redding, Calif.

The propagules of ‘Miss Jo’ (‘146T54’) are identical to the originalplant in all distinguishing characteristics; accordingly, thepropagation has demonstrated that the traits disclosed herein remainfixed and true to type through successive generations of asexualreproduction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

‘Miss Jo’ is a weak day neutral variety exhibiting the followingcombination of characteristics, which have been observed repeatedly, andwhich distinguish this strawberry plant as a new and distinct variety:

-   -   1. The variety produces moderate sized fruit;    -   2. The fruit is generally well shaped conical;    -   3. The fruit is attractive, having a glossy light red exterior        and interior;    -   4. The fruit is sweet tasting, with good flavor;    -   5. The variety produces a high volume of marketable fruit;    -   6. The plants of the variety are of moderate to high vigor; and,    -   7. The variety has shown rain tolerance in wet climates.

‘Miss Jo’ fruit demonstrates characteristics and qualities that aredesired by fresh market strawberry sales companies. The lighter, redcolor is preferred by many shippers of fresh strawberries, as the darkerberries are more likely to be viewed as overripe by buyers then arelighter colored berries. ‘Miss Jo’ is also a firm berry, which shouldlend well to a fresh market where shipping is a major factor. The vigorand density of ‘Miss Jo’ plants are moderately high, with flowers thatare at, or extend slightly over the canopy, allowing for adequatepollination. Fruit is easily seen and accessible on the shoulders of thebeds allowing for ease of picking.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying color photographs, identified as FIGS. 1 through 7,show the appearance of typical specimens of the new strawberry variety,initially designated ‘146T54’, and now named ‘Miss Jo’. These Figuresdepict the colors, as nearly true as it is reasonably possible givendifferences in color illustrations of this character. Accordingly, colorin the photographs may differ slightly from the colors discussed in thebotanical description. The photographs of the depicted plant, plantparts, and fruit of ‘Miss Jo’ were taken in June 2021.

FIG. 1 shows typical leaf and petiole structure at mid-season;

FIG. 2 shows an inflorescence at mid-season;

FIG. 3 shows a selection of typical mid-season fruit;

FIG. 4 shows typical calyx position over the berry of ‘Miss Jo’;

FIG. 5 shows a cross-section of typical fruit internal coloration andcore size;

FIG. 6 shows a container of freshly picked fruit,

FIG. 7 shows typical plants in a field and position of ripe fruit on theshoulder.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANT

‘Miss Jo’ is a new and distinct variety of strawberry, genus and speciesFragaria x ananassa. It is the result of a cross between its femaleparent, ‘22G22’ (unpatented), and its male parent ‘52L32’ (unpatented).‘22G22’ is a short-day variety, while ‘52L32’ is a day neutral variety.‘Miss Jo’ is a weak day neutral variety that has remontant orever-bearing tendencies in temperate coastal environments and ispartially remontant in hotter inland environments. Plants of ‘Miss Jo’bloom commonly in our high elevation nursery, and slightly in the heatof our low elevation nursery location in Manteca, Calif., consistentwith other weak day neutral varieties. The plants of the new varietyhave a moderately high vigor and produce multiple crowns during thegrowing season. ‘Miss Jo’ exhibits several characteristics which areimprovements over one or both of its parent varieties, and other knowncultivars. The characteristics of ‘Miss Jo’ were observed in plants agedabout 6 months from planting in fruiting fields. These characteristicsand comparisons with other cultivars are discussed following.

The fruit size of ‘Miss Jo’ is large, with a seasonal average of 26 g,slightly smaller than its parents. The size of fruit of ‘Miss Jo’ isideal where it is not too large where it could be damaged in containers,but not too small to allow for efficient picking and packing. The fruitof ‘Miss Jo’ also hangs down on the shoulder of the bed to allow formore visible fruit and ease of picking.

‘Miss Jo’ produces mostly short conic fruit like its parent ‘22G22’,while the fruit of ‘52L32’ is a longer conical shape, often withmis-shaped fruit. The fruit of ‘Miss Jo’ generally ripens evenly fromthe tip to the shoulders of the berry, resulting in a uniform light redcolor over the whole fruit. In contrast, the fruit of ‘52L32’ has a morepronounced tip to top ripening pattern that can often be blotchy. Thefruit of ‘Miss Jo’ is mostly absent of creases and is generally smoothand has a firmness that is equal to its two parents. The glossiness of‘Miss Jo’ is closer to that of its ‘22G22’ parent which has a highgloss, rather than the lower gloss of ‘52L32’.

The data set forth for ‘Miss Jo’ in Tables 1, 2, and 3 was collected inJune 2021 from plants grown at a test plot in Moss Landing, MontereyCounty, Calif. Yield, size and % Brix data was used from the previousseason (2020) at the same location. Color terminology where noted is inaccordance with the Pantone Color Formula Guide GP 1201.

In Table 1, the observed characteristics of ‘Miss Jo’ are set forth.

TABLE 1 Detailed Description of Characteristics of ‘Miss Jo’SPECIFICATION: Genus/Species Fragaria X ananassa Market Name StrawberryPARENTS: Female ‘22G22’ (unpatented) Male ‘52L32’ (unpatented) PLANT:Type Weak Day Neutral Growth Habit Upright Foliage density Moderate/HighVigor Moderate/High Height Average 36 cm; range 33 cm to 40 cm WidthAverage 54.2 cm; range 50 cm to 60 cm Crowns Multiple crowns producedthroughout season Disease tolerance Test plots have shown tolerance toFusarium and Anthracnose LEAF: Width Average 15.6 cm; range 13.5 cm to18 cm Color Adaxial surface: Pantone 371 U Abaxial surface: Pantone 7491U Pubescence Medium density Inter-vein blistering Slight GlossinessModerate Variegation None TERMINAL LEAFLET: Length Average 94.8 mm;range 76 mm to 108 mm Width Average 81.6 mm; range 69 mm to 95 mm RatioLength to 1.16 width Margins Crenate to serrate Leaflet shape ObovateBase shape Cuneate Cross-section shape Concave PETIOLE: PubescenceSlight Petiole color Pantone 383 U Petiole length Average 26.7 cm; range23.2 cm to 29.1 cm Petiole diameter Average 4.05 mm; range 3.42 mm to4.81 mm STIPULE: Anthocyanin Slight coloration Length Average 21.96 mm;range 19.92 mm to 24.58 mm Width Average 11.23 mm; range 9.36 mm to13.22 mm STOLEN: Anthocyanin Present, light coloration PubescenceModerate, fine Diameter Average 4.31 mm; range 3.03 mm to 5.82 mmINFLORESCENCE: Flowering time Moderately early Position At or slightlyabove the canopy Number of blooms Average 6.4; range 5 to 9 LengthAverage 37.2 cm; range 32.9 cm to 43.5 cm Flower diameter Average 26.6mm; range 21.9 mm to 30.2 mm Petal arrangement Separate to slightlyoverlapping Petal number Average 5.6; range 5 to 8 Petal length Average11.4 mm; range 10.2 mm to 12.51 mm Petal width Average 10.8 mm; range9.23 mm to 12.15 mm Ratio Length to 1.05 width Petal color Pantone11-0701 TPX Calyx Larger than the corolla Calyx color Adaxial Pantone371 U Abaxial Pantone 3791 U Stamens Average 27.5; range 26 to 34Pedicel Attitude of hairs is perpendicular to upright FRUIT: BearingWeak Day Neutral Shape Conic Size Seasonal average: 26 g AchenesSlightly below the surface Glossiness Medium External color Pantone 711C Internal color Pantone 7417 C Evenness of Even external color Width ofband at top Small devoid of achenes Yield Approximate grams per plant:1,926 g Firmness Firm, similar firmness to parent ‘22G22’ % BrixSeasonal average: 8.9; range 6.7 to 12.2

The comparison statistics set forth in the following Tables are withrespect to characteristics observed at mid-season of ‘Miss Jo’. Allmeasurements for ‘Miss Jo’ were taken at a test plot in Moss Landing,Monterey County, Calif. during mid-season 2021. In Tables 2 and 3, thecharacteristics of ‘Miss Jo’ are compared with historical data of theday neutral variety ‘Sweet Ann’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 22,472) andshort-day variety ‘Lucia’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 26,974). Coloridentifications where noted herein are in accordance with the PantoneColor Formula Guide.

PLANTS AND FOLIAGE

The form and structure of the plants of ‘Miss Jo’ are slightly shorterto that of ‘Lucia’ and ‘Sweet Ann’ plants. The plant spread of ‘MissJo’, however, is wider than that of either ‘Sweet Ann’ or ‘Lucia’. Thecanopy of ‘Miss Jo’ is slightly denser than that of ‘Sweet Ann’ and‘Lucia’. The leaf surface of ‘Miss Jo’ is also less blistered than thatof ‘Lucia’ and more closely resembling that of ‘Sweet Ann’. Theglossiness of the leaves of ‘Miss Jo’ is also less glossy than that of‘Lucia’ and more like that of ‘Sweet Ann’.

In Table 2, comparative data for foliar characteristics are presentedfor ‘Miss Jo’ and historical data of two comparison cultivars, ‘SweetAnn’ and ‘Lucia’.

TABLE 2 Foliar Characteristics of ‘Miss Jo’ Compared to ‘Lucia’ and‘Sweet Ann’ Foliar Cultivar Characteristics ‘Lucia’ ‘Sweet Ann’ ‘MissJo’ Plant height (mm) Average 391 380 360 Range 292-490 290-480 330-400Plant spread (mm) Average 472 420 542 Range 430-550 30-510 500-600 Leafwidth (mm) Average 195 165 156 Range 165-220 130-195 135-180 Mid-tierleaflet Average 103 88 94.8 length (mm) Range 82-116 72-105 76-108Mid-tier leaflet Average 91 67 81.6 width (mm) Range 73-102 52-88 69-95Petiole length Average 268 220 267 (mm) Range 230-355 150-280 232-291Petiole diameter Average 4.48 3.74 4.05 (mm) Range 3.70-5.80 3.01-4.293.42-4.81 Number leaflets 3 3 3 per leaf Leaf convexity Slight concaveSlight Concave concave Shape leaflet base Rounded to Obtuse Cuneateobtuse Leaf pubescence Medium Medium Medium density density densityPetiole pubescence Medium Medium Low density density density Stipulelength Average 35.74 Not available 21.96 (mm) Range 30.2-39.7 Notavailable 19.92-24.58 Stipule anthocyanin Yes Weak yes Slight colorationLeaf margins Serrate to Commonly Crenate to crenate crenate serrate Leafcolor adaxial 364 U 364 U 371 U surface Leaf color abaxial 363 U 370 U7491 U surface Petiole color 366 U 383 U 383 U Leaf surface Medium Veryweak Slight blistering Leaf surface High Medium Moderate glossiness

FLOWERS AND FRUIT

‘Miss Jo’ is a weak day neutral variety that has ever-bearing tendenciesunder certain temperature and horticultural conditions. This has beenseen where plants grown in a coastal climate have continuously floweredthroughout the growing season, while in nursery production in Mantecawhere summer temperatures are hot, some plants flower, while others donot. While ‘Lucia’ has longer inflorescences and ‘Sweet Ann’ has shorterinflorescences as compared to ‘Miss Jo’, when compared to theirindividual plant size all three varieties produce flowers that are at orabove the canopy level, leaving flowers exposed to pollinators. Thelight red exterior color of the fruit of ‘Miss Jo’ is similar in colorto that of ‘Lucia’ and ‘Sweet Ann’, however while ‘Sweet Ann’ often hasan unripe shoulder, no such shoulder exists in fruit of ‘Miss Jo’ whereit ripens nearly up to the calyx. The fruit of ‘Miss Jo’ has goodculinary qualities including good conic shape, good size, lighter redcolor, and a sweet strawberry flavor.

In Table 3, comparative data for flower and fruit characteristics for‘Lucia’, ‘Sweet Ann’ and ‘Miss Jo’ are set forth.

TABLE 3 Flower and Fruit Characteristics of ‘Miss Jo’ Compared to‘Lucia’ and Sweet Ann’ Cultivar Characteristic ‘Lucia’ ‘Sweet Ann’ ‘MissJo’ Petal number 5 5-6 5-8 Petal length (mm) Average 12.44 11.21 11.37Range 10.6-14.3 9.2-13.13 10.16-12.51 Petal width (mm) Average 11.8611.05 10.84 Range 10-13.1 9.0-13.1 9.23-12.15 Position of flower mostmost most (relative to foliage) exposed exposed exposed some even someeven Pedicel length (mm) Average 430 330 372 Range 380-540 240-420329-435 Sepal color (adaxial) 364 U 364 U 371 U Sepal color (abaxial)371 U 370 U 7491 U Flower diameter Average 28.18 30.34 26.55 (mm) Range23.5-34.2 27.03-32.94 21.86-30.22 Fruit color (external) 1788 C 185 C711 C Fruit color (internal) 179 C 1788 C 7417 U

Leaf samples from ‘Miss Jo’, along with several proprietary selectionsfrom the breeding program including ‘Lucia’, ‘Sweet Ann’, ‘Emilia’ (U.S.Plant Pat. No. 30,427), ‘Camila’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 30,326), ‘RubyJune’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 27,190), ‘Sangria’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No.30,426), ‘Scarlet’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 27,034), and ‘Sierra’ (U.S.Plant Pat. No. 33,284), were submitted to a lab for allelic fingerprintcomparison to the over two hundred other varieties of strawberry in itsdata base. The allelic fingerprint analysis establishes that ‘Miss Jo’is distinct and unique compared to the lab's large database of allelicfingerprints. While ‘Miss Jo’ has equivalent alleles to other varietiesfor some individual markers, when looked at with several markers, aunique fingerprint is established.

Table 4 below sets forth the test results of three markers.

TABLE 4 Allelic Fingerprint Analysis Cultivar M1 M2 M3 ‘Camila’ 204,206, 224, 229 190, 232 279, 281, 289 ‘Emilia’ 204, 206, 214, 229 190,232 279, 281, 289 ‘Lucia’ 202, 204, 206, 229 188, 216, 232 279, 281, 289‘Ruby June’ 206, 224, 229 188, 190, 216, 279, 289 ‘Sangria’ 204, 206,229 190,216 279,289 ‘Scarlet’ 204, 206, 214, 229 173, 190, 232 279, 281,289 ‘Sweet Ann’ 204, 206, 229 190, 216, 232 279, 281, 289 ‘Sierra’ 204,206, 229 232 279, 289 ‘Miss Jo’ 204, 206, 214, 224, 190, 232, 263 279,281, 289 229

We claim:
 1. A new and distinct strawberry plant named ‘Miss Jo’ asdescribed and illustrated by the characterizations set forth above.